Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've always been drawn to heavily planted tanks, but the cost of plants can be a real deterrent. I recall buying my initial plants, three small ones that set me back $10 each. The local fish store in my area has a better selection, but you pay for it - literally. They charge more than the pet stores, so it's a trade-off between price and variety.

My low light setup in a 24 inch tall hex tank. Started with just 3 tiny anubias plants a few years back. They've done well with low liquid ferts added weekly. I recently removed some to add to my 10 gallon tank. Lighting is an 18 watt T8 fluorescent and a 6 watt LED.

If you pick up just one Water Sprite plant and let it grow on the surface, before you know it, you'll have a bunch of little ones sprouting off. Within a month, you can start planting them in the substrate and suddenly you've got a heavily planted tank for the price of one plant.